Benjamin E. Musser, son of Heinrich Musser, was born August 15, 1810. While he was but a boy his father died and later his mother was remarried to Jacob Hershey. There were Hershey children and Musser children and they grew up together. When Benjamin was eighteen years old father Hershey advised him to get a life companion and selected Elizabeth Brenner for him. They were married Dec. 7, 1828 and soon afterward both were converted and united with the Brethren in Christ Church.
Benjamin Musser bought land near Stackstown which is now the Miller farm. The land was then covered with timber and they cut down some of it to build a house and barn. Here Benjamin and his wife, Elizabeth began to keep house in 1829. In 1842 they bought the Irwin W. Musser farm near Florin and moved to this place. After Michael B. Musser, their oldest son, was married, the old homestead was given to him and the parents moved with their family to the B. O. Musser farm in 1855. In 1864 they discontinued farming and moved to a house they had built across the road from the old homestead. When their son, Michael retired from farming, this house was occupied by him and they bought a house in Florin and moved there. Several years later Elizabeth passed to her reward, May 30, 1880 at the age of sixty-eight years. Several years prior to her death she had a stroke, after which she was nearly helpless part of the time. She had always been a faithful member of the Brethren in Christ Church. After her death, father Benjamin Musser no longer continued his home but lived with his children .
Father Benjamin E. Musser was charitably inclined. He helped poor people to homes of their own by buying the house and giving them the opportunity to pay for it as they were able. On one occasion he and Isaac Hershey built a house for a poor family and afterwards one of the daughters became wealthy. She remembered the help her parents had received and wished to do something helpful for the church with which these brethren were associated. She became acquainted with some of their friends at the Messiah Home in Harrisburg and gave financial aid to that institution. She had a desire to provide care for orphan children and promised to pay for an Orphanage building. By the consent of the church, the orphanage was built on the Messiah Home grounds and was paid by Barbara Kern according to her promise. This was the first building erected for the ophanage work which is now being conducted at the Messiah Orphanage at Florin.
Father Benjamin Musser was much pleased with the land in Kansas and wished that all his children would live there. In September, 1884 he took a trip to that state, having made arrangements to purchase a section of land for his two sons, Benjamin and Amos. The party going west was composed of Jacob Flory, Daniel Heisey, Michael and Henry Musser and Benjamin E. Musser. John B. Musser and his family already lived in Kansas. He reached Kansas and bought a section of land for his sons and had the proper papers drawn up.
On the following day as they were viewing the country they drove through a ravine and the back seat on which Father Musser was riding broke and he and his son, Michael, fell backwards on the ground. Michael was not injured but on being asked whether he was hurt, father replied, "Yes, and I think I must die." Those present at the time of the accident were his two sons, Michael and Henry, and his two sons-in-law, Jacob Flory and Daniel Heisey, and two grandsons, Christ O. and Hezekiah Musser. A telegram was sent to the sons, Benjamin and Amos, that father was hurt and probably would die. A few days after the telegram was received, a letter arrived with the message that he was well and had bought the section of land for them and that they needed to make no arrangements for the payment until he came home.
The accident proved fatal and Benjamin E. Musser died September 25, 1884 at Herrington, Kansas. He lived a Christian life until death, having spent more than fifty years in the Lord's service. His body was brought to Pennsylvania and buried beside that of his wife, Elizabeth Brenner Musser, in the Cross Roads cemetery.
History of the Musser Family - Reunions of the Descendants of Benjamin Engle Musser, 1810-1884, Volume Two. 1965